Product Description

‘The problem was Megan had just taken the second half of her ecstasy when her father called with the news’

Nineteen-year-old university student Megan Thompson is beautiful, cool, clever and sexy – the kind of girl boys fall in love with. She’s mostly steered clear of family life since the death of her younger brother. That is until the day she hears her mother, Diana, has been found floating face down in their swimming pool.

Diana, as Director of the Center for Reproductive Choice, was a national figure who inspired passions and made enemies. Detective Huck Berlin is brought in to investigate the case when it becomes clear that Diana was murdered. Several people have quarrelled with Diana on that fateful day, not least Frank, her husband of twenty years, and her wayward child. Now father and daughter are thrown together in an unexpected twist of family life.

Set in a small town in Colorado, The Abortionist’s Daughter is an utterly compelling novel of family secrets, dark passion and, ultimately, catharsis for those whose lives have become so strangely entwined.

'A remarkably lucid and authoritative novelist' John Irving

'Like Anne Tyler, Hyde captures the quirky, heartbreaking core of a character and puts it on the page with shining prose'

Publishers Weekly

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39841 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-19
• Released on: 2006-06-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

In Style magazine
'You'll be hooked from start to finish.’

Daily Express
"A compelling novel of dark passion and family secrets"

Time Out
"...an ideal summer read... As tense as it is perceptive, The Abortionist's Daughter is a first-rate novel..."

Customer Reviews

Average is the perfect description
I'm with the majority of reviewers on this one. I don't read customer reviews before I read the book as they spoil it, and like many others I think, I was expecting something very thought-provoking and close to the edge, (like you see in Jodi Piccoult's books) but what I actually got was a textbook on how to write a murder mystery. Honestly, you've got every single cliche here - The family members who have had a row with the victim, the angry professional oppenents, the husband's ex-lover, the heartbroken teenager, the list goes on and on, all with good motive! Then to top it all off, there's the maverick, but general good-guy cop who gets taken off the case but can't rest until it's solved - Even complete with a rubbish nickname!

I did quite like the writing, and the book whiled away a long flight. It is a decent who dunnit, but no more than that and it certainly isn't the brilliant, original classic I was hoping for from all the hype.

A good read
Ok, don't read this book if you are looking for a real thriller, with unexpected twists and shock killer endings etc. As many people have already pointed out, the killer is pretty obvious almost from the second you meet them.

However, it is still a good book and I enjoyed reading it. I thought most of the characters were interesting, particularly the daughter Megan. She is a very realistic character, I don't know how old the author is but she obviously remembers being a teenager. Her relationship with her mother is well portrayed, very complex and real.

The story revolves around the murder of Diana, an abortion doctor, the investigation that follows, and the impact on the family left behind. The author gradually reveals some of Diana's past, which is interesting, including the death of her son, Megan's younger brother. There are few tense moments, but I was never bored either.

Basically, read this book if you are looking for an enjoyable fun (not funny) read that is easy to get through. Don't buy if you want to be challenged! Although there are some interesting angles around the abortion issue, the novel is mostly pretty straightforward.

Predictable and quite boring
This, the fifth book for Richard and Judy's Bookclub, was a huge disappointment. After reading the synopsis, I thought it would be a thought provoking book with twists and turns along the way. I was, unfortunately, mistaken.
The story is about a 19yr old young woman, Megan, who finds out from her father that her mother has been found dead in her swimmming pool. As an accident is ruled out, the story continues from there. The reason why I thought it would be interesting is that Megan's mum was a doctor who had an abortion clinic - surely lots of potential to explore the moral/ethical implications?
To an extent, such issues are explored, but this is a very poor novel. It is predictable - I, like another reviewer, guessed who the murderer was, and why. Also, for myself, the characters were just not developed enough - I didn't really care about any of them. In fact, the only reason why i finished this book is that it is a bookclub book.
Personally, I was not impressed at all. For a whodunnit, it was very boring, not leaving me desperate to turn the next page so I could learn more.